Why keep a journal? (Part 2)

Every few months, I try to go through my daily journal. The goal is to extract any lessons, themes, patterns, or quotes that may help me now, or sometime in the future. If you missed the first time I shared some of the lessons, read here.

Here are some lessons I learned going through my journal a second time.

1. When it comes to trust, it’s all or nothing. If you are going to trust someone, give them 100% of your trust or none at all. There is nothing more anxiety-inducing than keeping someone around that you partially trust. How can you expect to keep walking forward if you keep looking over your shoulder?

2. Act out of what you know, not what you feel.

   When you act out of what you know, you’re making decisions based on all the writing, talking, and thinking you’ve done.

   When you act out of what you feel, you’re acting out of your immediate stress response, which rarely leads to the right thing.

   Neil Gaiman on truth in fiction: “Fiction is the lie that tells the truth, after all.”

3. Truth and Fact are not the same thing.

   Art is concerned with TRUTH, while doing the right thing is based on FACT.

   Use the truth(aka how you feel) to make art, but use facts to inform your decisions.

4. Do everything the right way, and with confidence.

   There’s a Springsteen lyric that I think captures this idea perfectly:

   “Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor
   Oh, closets are for hangers, winners use the door
   So use it, Rosie, that's what it's there for”

5. The more struggle I can overcome, the better I (or my work) will be.

6. My nature is not stillness, so that means I must actively seek it out as often as I can.

7. Look at the people around you. What do you like about them? Take inventory like Marcus Aurelius does at the beginning of Meditations and write down some specific qualities you see in your loved ones, and then use those people as guides. Having personal models for courage, patience, and kindness is more practical than aiming at those things based on a dictionary definition.

8. You are compulsive and ambitious, so you tend to get lost in your work. If you find yourself thinking that you need a break, you most certainly need one. Take it so that you can fill your tank back up and get back to work before you burn out.

9. Take note of the things that bring you back to “center”.

   Here are some examples:

   -Walks

   -Cold showers

   -Writing

   -Meditation

   -Reading

   -Laughing

10. This project is difficult and overhwhelming, but you keep coming back. That’s a good sign that it’s not the work that is daunting, but the vulnerable position it’s putting you in.

    Good. Keep going. When you finish it, judge it on how good it is, not how comfortable you are letting others see it.

    These are all observations I made through my personal experiences, so when I say “you”, I’m talking to myself. But I hope you can take at least one or two that relate to you and learn from my mistakes before you make them yourself.

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